Mustafar
Mustafar is a small planet that appeared in the Star Wars universe. Located in the Mustafar system of the Outer Rim Territories, it is known as a fiery volcanic world where lava is mined like a precious natural resource. Mustafar is a very young and volatile world, torn apart by opposing gravitational forces of the gas giants Jestefad and Lefrani, with the former being the closer of the two. Astride thick-skinned lava fleas, the natives leapt across the lava fields to mine the planet's deadly natural resources. Mustafarians oversaw the smelting facilities constructed by the Separatists on Mustafar. Background Mustafar was the last capital of the Confederacy of Independent Systems and the site of the Separatists' downfall by Darth Vader, an event that shaped galactic history. It was the site of the climactic lightsaber duel between Anakin Skywalker and his former mentor, Obi-Wan Kenobi. The duel ended with Anakin defeated and severally burnt by the planet's harsh environment, resulting him to be concealed behind a mask, and being encased in life-supporting armour for the rest of his life. Mustafar later came under the control of the Galactic Empire after Palpatine ended the Clone Wars and brought the Empire to power, resulting in the fall of both the Jedi Order and the Galactic Republic. Mustafar was also a planet that was strong with the Dark side of the Force, and it was here that Darth Vader came to corrupt a Kyber crystal after taking it from the Jedi he killed for his lightsaber. Vader would later use Mustafer as his own personal retreat and stronghold, as it was the location of a major locus in the Dark side of the Force. Emperor Palpatine gave Vader Mustafar as a gift upon inquiring why it interested his apprentice so. Here, in this locus, Vader believed there were things that could be done with the Force that were otherwise impossible. To that end, Vader built his fortress on the planet, above the cave, crafted from the schematics of the ancient Sith architect, Lord Momin. Through the Force, the spirit of Momin, trapped within his helmet, agreed to help Darth Vader build his fortress, as the Fortress would also serve as a tuning fork to help Vader immerse himself in the Dark side of the Force while giving Momin's spirit a chance to create a masterpiece he would be remembered forever for. To this end, Momin helped to construct Fortress Vader, failing a total of eight times before the ninth and final variant was completed. Using the fortress as a tuning fork, Vader opened a gateway in the Dark side locus, as Mustafar's inhabitants began to attack. Momin then opens the gateway and reveals his true plan: to free himself from the gateway and return to his place of power. However, Momin was quickly confronted and killed by Vader, who used a pillar from the Dark side locus to crush him, killing his physical form once and for all, leaving only his helmet. After disposing of Momin, Vader enters the Locus to try and bring Padme back to life, leaving his mechanical body behind to wander through as a spirit inhabiting his old body. There, he is confronted by several truths; first that no matter what he tries, Vader will never be able to save Padme from death, second, Palpatine created Anakin through the Force with Dark side energy, and third, he would someday meet his end at the hands of a mysterious Jedi. Awakening from his journey through the locus, Vader would destroy the locus' portal by turning the energy on itself using the power in the fortress to magnify his strength in the Force, before contacting his master and returning to Coruscant. Sometime afterwards, Mustafar became infamous for being the place where Jedi go to die. Shortly after Kanan Jarrus was captured, he was transported to Mustafar for further interrogation under the supervision of Wilhuff Tarkin, until he was later rescued by his fellow Rebels. Prior to the destruction of the Death Star, the director Orson Krennic came to visit Vader in his finished fortress to talk about the Death Star. Trivia *The concept of Mustafar dates back to the development of Return of the Jedi, in which Luke Skywalker battles Darth Vader over a lava lake in Palpatine's throne room in the lowest levels of the Imperial homeworld. Even back then, it was rumored that Anakin suffered his grievous injuries at the hands of Obi-Wan during a battle over a lava pit, and the concept became an almost mythical tale among Star Wars fans until finally realized on film twenty years later. *Mustafar bears a striking resemblance to Io, the fifth moon that orbits Jupiter. Like Mustafar, Io too experiences extreme volcanic activity on the surface. The obvious difference between Mustafar and Io is that Io's volcanic flows are made up of sulfur, whereas Mustafar's are made up of molten silicate rock and iron ore, which are much hotter than molten sulfur. *A cave alive with the Dark side of the Force exists on Mustafar, as revealed in Marvel Comics' Darth Vader: The Chosen One: Part V. Vader later built his fortress over this cave in the story arc Fortress Vader. Gallery Mustafar Landscape.png Mustafar System.png Starwars3-movie-screencaps.com-14109.jpg Starwars3-movie-screencaps.com-13908.jpg Starwars3-movie-screencaps.com-13887.jpg Starwars3-movie-screencaps.com-13862.jpg Starwars3-movie-screencaps.com-13755.jpg Starwars3-movie-screencaps.com-13276.jpg Starwars3-movie-screencaps.com-13848.jpg MustafarCloneWars.png Mustafar Rebels.png|Mustafar in Star Wars Rebels MustafarRebelsFireAcrosstheGalaxy.png|Mustafar in Star Wars Rebels KrennicArrival.jpg|Vader's castle MustafarPnf.png WDI - Star Tours Mystery Pin Collection - Mustafar.jpeg Darth Vader’s castle concept art.jpg|Darth Vader's castle concept art Vader Castle Concept 2.jpg Vader-castle-concept-empire.jpg Vader Castle Concept 1.jpg Darth-vader-mustafar-castle-concept-art-219052.jpg External links *Mustafar on Wookieepedia Category:Star Wars locations Category:Planets Category:Star Wars Rebels Category:Star Wars Anthology Series Category:Villain's lair Category:Star Wars Sequel Trilogy